Hidden Gem in Cornwall

Cadgwith is one of the most perfectly preserved and most completely authentic fishing coves on the Lizard Peninsula in south Cornwall, a small community of thatched cottages clustered around a shingle beach divided by a central rock outcrop where working fishing boats are hauled up on the beach in a scene of genuine working character that has changed very little in essential character over the past century. The combination of the thatched rooftops, the working boats, the fish cellars on the beach and the pub above the cove creates the most concentrated image of traditional Cornish fishing community life available on this section of the coast. The boats at Cadgwith still work the offshore waters for crab, lobster and various fish species, and the fresh seafood available directly from the fishermen and from the village shop provides some of the finest locally caught shellfish in Cornwall. The crab pasties and the crab salads of the village café and pub have developed a reputation that draws visitors from across the county who seek the authenticity of a fishing village that has not been shaped primarily for tourism. The coastal walking from Cadgwith on the South West Coast Path in both directions provides excellent cliff scenery characteristic of the Lizard Peninsula, the serpentine rock giving the cliffs a distinctive green and brown colour quite different from the granite of the west Cornish coast. The Devil's Frying Pan, a natural arch and blowhole accessible by a short walk south from the village, provides a dramatic natural feature to complement the village visit.

Coverack is a small and remarkably well-preserved fishing village on the east coast of the Lizard Peninsula in south Cornwall, a community of stone cottages around a small harbour whose combination of the working boats, the café and pub above the sea wall and the character of a genuine fishing community that has not been entirely transformed by tourism makes it one of the most authentic small coastal communities on the Lizard. The distinctive geological character of the Lizard Peninsula, with its serpentinite and gabbro rock, gives Coverack's harbour walls and local buildings a green and brown colour quite unlike the granite of the west Cornish coast. The fishing heritage of Coverack is represented by the working boats that continue to fish the offshore waters for crab, lobster and various fish species, and the café and pub in the village provide fresh local seafood in a setting of considerable coastal charm. The village escaped the major tourist development that transformed some other Cornish coastal villages in the twentieth century, and the result is a settlement of genuine character where the fishing community's presence is still felt. The coastal path from Coverack provides excellent walking in both directions along the Lizard's east coast, the serpentinite rock creating distinctive cliff and foreshore scenery with unusual mineral colouring and the characteristic flora of the Lizard's serpentinite grasslands visible on the cliff tops. The National Nature Reserve of the Lizard's heathland is accessible from the coastal path circuit.

Lamorna Cove on the southwest Cornish coast near Land's End is a small and exceptionally beautiful rocky cove approached through a wooded valley of the Lamorna stream, a destination that combined the qualities of the wooded valley, the rocky shore and the granite pier above the cove in a landscape of such gentle and complete beauty that it attracted the artists of the Newlyn School who made it one of the most painted small coastal settings in Cornwall. Samuel John Lamorna Birch, the most celebrated of the Lamorna artists, took his middle name from the cove and painted its landscape throughout his long career. The cove is reached by the narrow road down the Lamorna Valley, the descent through the woodland of the valley providing a sheltered approach that contrasts with the more exposed granite clifftop scenery of the surrounding Land's End peninsula. The granite quarry above the cove, whose stone was exported by the small pier for use in the construction of London streets and buildings, provides the industrial heritage dimension to what is primarily a nature and landscape destination. The coast path from Lamorna Cove in both directions provides excellent granite cliff walking characteristic of the Penwith Peninsula, and the combination of the valley approach, the cove and the cliff walking creates one of the finest complete coastal experiences available in the far west of Cornwall.

Mousehole, pronounced Mowzel, is the most completely charming and most frequently cited perfect small fishing village in Cornwall, a community of granite cottages around a small medieval harbour south of Penzance whose combination of the harbour architecture, the tight lanes of the village, the quality of the independent cafés and restaurants and the complete absence of the commercial clutter that has compromised other Cornish villages creates a destination of apparently effortless perfection. Dylan Thomas described it as the loveliest village in England, a claim that Cornish people typically contest. The harbour at Mousehole, built in the medieval period and substantially unchanged in its essential form, provides the visual focus of the village, the granite walls and the fishermen's cottages around it creating a composition that has been painted and photographed since the Victorian period. The passage of time and the gradual replacement of the working fishing community by residents whose primary relationship with the sea is recreational has changed the underlying character of the village, but the physical fabric remains extraordinary in its completeness. The Stargazy Pie tradition at Mousehole, commemorating the legendary fisherman Tom Bawcock who braved a December storm to bring fish to a starving village in the sixteenth century, is celebrated each year on Tom Bawcock's Eve on December 23rd with a procession and the traditional pie whose filling of fish allows the heads to protrude through the pastry lid staring at the sky.

Prussia Cove is a small and secretive group of coves near Praa Sands on the Lizard Peninsula in south Cornwall, a rocky inlet of considerable natural beauty whose name derives from the eighteenth-century smuggler John Carter, who controlled the cove and its trade with such authority and organisation that he styled himself the King of Prussia after Frederick the Great. Carter was one of the most celebrated and most organised of the Cornish smugglers, his operations run with a discipline and business efficiency that made him a figure of local legend and the model for the fictional smugglers of romantic tradition. The cove is accessible on foot from the South West Coast Path and by a rough track from the road above, the descent to the water requiring care but rewarding visitors with one of the most secluded and least visited sections of the south Cornish coast. The small sandy inlets between the rock platforms and the caves accessible at low water make Prussia Cove a rewarding destination for those seeking the unspoiled character of the Lizard coast away from the more accessible beaches. The musical connection of Prussia Cove has given it a more contemporary fame alongside its smuggling history. The Prussia Cove International Musicians' Seminar, founded in 1972 by the pianist Peter Frankl and subsequently developed by András Schiff and others, brings together some of the finest chamber musicians in the world for intensive rehearsal and performance sessions at the cove each spring and autumn, making this remote Cornish inlet one of the most unlikely venues in European classical music. The surrounding South Lizard coast, including the beautiful church cove at Gunwalloe and the Loe Pool at Porthleven, provides excellent coastal walking and natural interest.